Strange Ancient Insect Found Fossilized In A Piece of Indonesian Opal

While opal is always a valuable find, this piece bears a tiny yet remarkable secret cargo. Perfectly preserved within the beautiful swirling colors of the opal rests an insect estimated to be anywhere from four to seven million years old. While many an ancient insect has been found in amber, finding one encased in opal is a new for scientists who are scrambling to figure out how it could even be possible.

Amber is tree resin that has fossilized into a gemstone (made famous outside scientific circles by Jurassic Park). When creatures get trapped in the fresh, gooey resin, they are rapidly entombed, their bodies preserved with exquisite detail. The formation of opal, however, is a far more complex and interactive process, requiring silica solutions to build up in underground cavities over many millennia. These facts have scientists baffled as to just how this beautiful opal specimen became impregnated with its tiny passenger.

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Is it real?

Is the insect trapped in opal real or a hoax? At this stage, the discovery is so recent it’s hard to say for sure if it’s real or a clever deception. It is currently in private hands and has not yet been handed over to the paleontologists and geochemists who will need to study it to confirm its veracity and figure out just how the insect’s fate was sealed. If confirmed as genuine, this opal-encased insect represents a previously untapped source for fossils: our windows into the past.

Jenni Brammall of the Australian Opal Centre in Lightning Ridge is an expert on both opals and opalized fossils. She has known of the specimen’s existence since 2017 and has been sent images of what looks like a second similar specimen, allegedly found in the same Javan mine. However, Brammall is holding back her excitement until there’s more than just photos on the table. She explained that, at this stage, there has been no scientific research published, so there’s no way to offer a truly informed opinion. However, she also said, “I have no reason to doubt that it’s genuine, other than that it is so unlikely, but we’ll have to wait and see what the science says.” Adding that she hopes it’s real because “if it is, it’s going to reveal some absolutely fascinating things about opal formation.”

This opal-encased insect is different from opalized fossils, that have a beauty all their own and form via an entirely different process to whatever was going on with the encased insect. As the bones of the creature break down, if the right silica solutions filter in and occupy the space in the rock once filled by bone, opals can form, just like when you pour jelly in a mold. What results is a beautiful blend of fossil and opal that is nothing short of spectacular when it happens with the large skull of a predator.

The Wisdom Segment

I
The famous piece of cloth that to this day resides in St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin, north Italy has been the subject of much research and investigation. However, no one has discovered the true origins of the shroud; and the question of whether it was the linen which Jesus Christ was buried in or not is still shrouded in mystery.

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The linen is rectangular and has a measurement of 4.4 by 1.1 meters. It has a subtle hint of an image of a naked man with his hands folded across his groin. The face marking shows a beard, mustache, and shoulder-length hair. There are reddish-brown stains on the cloth as well that is believed to be blood from Jesus wounds.

III
While the Catholic Church has not officially acknowledged nor rejected the shroud, Pope Pius XII did approve of the image as Jesus Christs face in 1958. However, while the shroud does have an imprint of a face and body of someone who had suffered a similar fate than that of Jesus, there is still no evidence of how the markings were truly created.

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Scientists have been trying to prove its validity by conducting radiocarbon testing, but the tests, performed in 1988, yielded negative results. According to three different laboratory tests, the shroud only dated back to the Middle Ages, evidence that it could not have been the same linen Jesus wore, as his crucifixion took place at a much earlier time.

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However, many still believe it to be genuine, sparking many debates about the mysterious relic. Some researchers even questioned the validity of the carbon dating, suggesting that the results may have been skewed due to some material from the Middle Ages possibly contaminating the cloth. Scientists have refuted this claim, sticking to their initial finding.

VI
Even though the Church has never truly endorsed the shroud, numerous steps have been taken to preserve and restore its condition. It is safely kept in an airtight case under bulletproof glass. The casings temperature and humidity levels are controlled. The case is also filled with oxygen and argon to hinder chemical changes.